Handcuff



March 29, 1932.

E" E. NEAL HANDCUFF Filed Jan. 12, 1929 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

'ELMERJ E. NEAL; or New it-Es; L1 ooNNEc'rIooT, 'Assienon mo PEEBLESS' nannoorr f OELSPRINGFIELD', MASSACHUSETTS,

Patented ar.- 29, 1932.

E .I J

a .ooaroaa'rron on, MASSACHUSETTS,

: mi nonrr Application filed .Tanua'ryjm; 1929. Serial No; 332,206.

invention relates to handcuffs, thtinib cufis,;leg cufis, or similar devices for police use, and has particular referenceto a policemans cnfi which will be animprovement in some particulars to, be pointed put, on that application for patent V the lock and to addsti'ength to the handcufl.

described in my prior .Serial No. 321,903filed Nov. 26, .1928. Specifieobj ects of the present improvement are to give: additional. seonrity against picking I or 120 tamperingwith the lock mechanism, and to "facilitate the withdrawalgof the handcuii" from: the officers pocket, without: catching on. the fabricHofthepooketfortearing it.

.1220 f Fig.3 isa detail, with the front o1 casing removed, showing the, parts n Other objects :wilLap-pean from the followr .15 ingdescription andclaimsi, v

-- Referringto the drawings: @Fig. 1 is affront View oi'ya bodying iny invention; Fig.2 is a side view thereoat; o v

the look ratchetingposition; a :7

; Fig. 4 is a similaride'tail showing the-parts inlockecl position-;. I it Fig.1 5is a similar detail showing the parts in'iunlocked position; y p Fig-6{is a fragmentary detail similar to Fig. '4 but on a larger-scale, illustratinggmore cIea'rlythe construetion ot certain parts;

escapementrocken; e

ber13, and a.

ably formed'integrally with the arni llyand is closed on all-side's-except 7011 that which faces the piyot "12." .This side is closed by the arm 14 when this arm is in :theposition shown in the drawing the' arm", extending slightly into the lock chamber: and being providedlwith teeth 15.;jTh'ese teeth differ from those shown .on the :arniyin theprior only by the spring 22 and being limited in its reciprocation by shoulders 27 and28-f0rn1ed on therbolt lies under an abutment 30 on the F gse per pec i ep e lso a Y 'ge r second single arni rotatable Jon the 'pi'vot'.f,'The lock Chamber is Vprefer-- application in that they are of asymmetrical V-shape instead of being-substantially radial on one side. A lip 16 on the lock chamber,

extends (preferably along the whole length of the lock chamber) into a concentric groove 17 on the arm 14 to prevent tampering with end 23"adaptedto seat selectively, in recesses 24 or 25, of a bolt'26. This boltliesfre'ely within the lockohamber, being heldzdown" in the chamber. 1 The bolt. is adapted to assume three positions, a locked position of f Figs. 5% and-6', aninterinediate orratcheting position shown "in; Fig. 3,;and an unlocking posit on shown in Fig, 5;; In-the locked position oi the bolt; thespring 22. rides in the notch 25;; (Fig. 9) 1 and an abutment .29

lower side of the pawl-*(Fig.. 6) to prevent rotation of the pawlbntof contact with the ratchet: teeth. In the ratcheting position thespring 22 lies. in the notch 2l-andthe abutments '29 and are out of contact so that the pawl may click ontheiratchetiteeth.

.In thennlocked positionthe oft-he bolt ri'des under the endBQ of (the 'pawl'torotate the latter toj-a position eompletely out of contact withthe; ratchetteeth, as shownin aeentralirecess 3,3 in the :pawl so that it causes no interference As in; the prior application, the bolt is formed with indentae tions L meshingwith teeth 35j ona hollow key 36 adapted to passthrough aikeyjhole 37 in the lo'ck' chamber'fand to rotate; upon a The form of teeth shownhpon the ratchetlike. portion of arm l l presents certaindesir- "able characteristiosfrom the .standpointQof utilitya :It ispossib'leto set the ha-ndcnfi as shown in the drjawings in this case aswell' a my .t me type i fi d ufi; SO t a gth a m n 29 rll'nning ireely into c the; ratchet 1 teeth. are enclosed ,by'the lock flop set in ratcheting chamber, and if the ofiicer is careful to set the handcufi in this position before placing.

the handcufi' from the pocket. The sym metrical teeth used in the present case slide freely out of the pocket without the liability of catching or tearing or delaying the ofiicers movements.

In order to utilize this form of ratchet teeth for the above and other reasons, the locking mechanism has been changed so thatthe teeth,

while symmetrical, will still ride over the pawl only in one direction. This is accomplished by the relative arrangement of the tooth 20 and the pivot 18 of the pawl. Referrin to Fig. 6, it will be observed that while if t e ratchet'be pushed to the right the pawl "will click over the teeth, the pressure of the ratchet against teeth when the ratchet is pushed inthe opposite direction is in aline passing substantial-1y throughthe pivot 18 or slightly above it, and no clicking of-thepawl will occur. By this special arrangement of the pawl mounting a smooth action of the ratchet in one direction is attained coupled with positive locking in the other direction.

Undue swinging of the pawl when the arm '14 is completelyout of the lock casing is prevented by contact of the end 32 of the pawl striking a ledge 39 formed on the casing or the ad'acent end of bolt 36.

o insure against'picking of the lock when position, a device known (among mechanical movements) as a Swiss ver 40, described and claimed in my prior apgrication Ser. No. 200,466 filed June 21,

is preferably used. This verge is pivoted at 41 within the lock chamber, and is formed with pallets 42 and 43 (Fig. 5) ada-pted-to'engage the ratchet teeth 15. This device is preferably set so that one or the other of the pallets, but not both, is always in contact with a ratchet tooth. With this sets ting the verge oscillates back and forth as the arm 14 is swung into position with the assage of each ratchet tooth. If it be attempted tomsert any picking tool such as thin spring into the space between the lock casing and the ratchet at the left as viewed in Fig. 5, the

end of the spring cannot pass both ends of-the verge, since by its passage past the left-hand endit tilts the right end even more forcefully than {usual against the teeth.

Having in mind the desirability of a shall- I low lockcasing which will form a minimum protuberance from the bracelet form of the cuff, I have added certain features of importance in the lock casing and mechanism notfound in prior structures. The bottom wall surface inside the lock casing is curved so as to bring all the mechanism closer to the bracelet curve. The bolt 26 is thin and of the same curve as the bottom wall on which it slides guided by the side walls. The ratchet 19 has a single tooth ofsturdy but small bulk, which is enough 'to lock the toothed arm 14. The

ratchet is rocked on its pivot by its fiat spring and the movement of the bolt from a position substantially parallel to the bolt to a position just enough off the parallel to lock the toothed arm. This arrangement effectively minimizes the radial distance from the bracelet curve that is needed for the lock'mechanism. By providing the space for the key turning in the casing at one side of the latch 19 instead of under or over it and having this space lying in substantially the same annulus from the bracelet curve center as that'in which the latch 19 lies, it will be seen how I have deliberately arranged the parts of the locking mechanism and casing so as to hug around the curve of the bracelet with the plan of avoiding an increase in the overall dimen sions of the handcuff that is to be carried in the pocket. With such structure the bottom wall of the casing 13 may be curved so as to form substantially a stream line with the bracelet circumference as a whole and of substantially the same radius.

f It will be noted in the form'of handcufi shown that the walls of the lock casing may all be integral, including the end walls. By reason of the verge device the clearance between the ratchet teeth and the top of the end wall. of the casing, which in constructions formerly used, needed to beas small as possible to prevent the insertion of a picking tool,

can now be made within greater tolerances, and to take 'full advantage of this fact I have made the end walls integral. The verge is thus important in not only actually preventing'lock'picking'by its positive action, but

in making possible more economical manufacture. It is a fact that in. handcufl' inanufacture a very large expense has been customary in the work of insuring accurate assembly, fitting, and adjustment of the parts such as required by the clearance referred to. The verge structure, in combination with the form of lock mechanism and easing walls shown, improves the handcufl'function and cuts down the amount of skill required in providing a good structure.

The inventionis described in the form of a handeufi with the understanding that the term handcufi or policemans cuffrineludes all analogous articles like thumb cufi's, leg irons, neck rings, and such devices for locking prisoners.

what'iclaimist' I p 1. A- policemans cutl comprislng a curved arm terminating in avlock casing, a second curved arm pivoted tothe first, arm and hav-c ing substantially symmetrical ratchet teeth on its periphery, a pawl pivoted intermediate 7 its length in the lock casing with its pivot one side of its pivot point for holding it immovable against the ratchet teeth and thereby locking the second arm'uagainst movement curved arm pivoted to the first and having substantially symmetrical ratchetteeth on its for withdrawing it ratchet teeth,

in either direction, and means for engaging v the pawl on the other sideof its pivot point from contact with the p 2. A policemans "cuff comprising a curved arm terminating m a lock casing, a second periphery, a' pawl pivoted inthe lock casing at such an angle that theliiie of thrust ex erted on it b'yrthe ratchet teeth in one di-i rection passes substantially through itspivot, thus preventing movement of the ratchet in that direction, whereas, theipawl Will click idlyover the ratchet teeth during movement ing bolt within the lock casing adapted inzone position to hold the pawl immovably against the ratchet teethand in anotherposition to tilt the pawl out of contactwith the ratchet teeth, a spring secured to the pawl tending to press the pawl'towards the ratchet teeth,

the free end of. the spring riding'on the bolt, and recesses in the bolt into which the free end of the springmay drop to hold theipawl selectively and releasably in one of a plurality of positions. 7

3. A policemans cufi comprising a curved arm termlnating in a lock casing, Ea second 7 curved arm pivoted to the first'and having substantially symmetrical ratchet teeth on its periphery, a pawl pivoted inthe lock-,cas- 'ing at such an angle that the line of thrust T exerted on it, by the ratchet teeth in one direction passes substantially through its pivot,

thus preventing [movement of the rat'chetin that direction, whereas the pawl will click idly over the ratchet teeth during movement I of the ratchet in the other direction, a sliding i the ratchet teeth land in another position to] tact with the ratchet.

positionto hold the pawl immovablyagainst tilt the pawl out of contact with the ratchet teeth, and a spring urging the pawl into con- 4, A policemans cult comprising a curved armterrmnatlng 1n. aglock caslngthe outer nature.

of the ratchet in thevother'direction, a slid-v 1 I curvature and from thexsa'me center as the arm, a second curved arm pivoted to the first and having substantiallysymmetrical ratchet teeth on a portion of its periphery, a pawl mounted inthe lock casing permitting clicking of the ratchet in one direction but preventing its movement in the otherdirection, and key operable bolt means movable to a position for holding the pawl out of position for engaging said teeth and to another position for holding {the pawl in such engagement.

5. A policemans cufi comprising a curved arm terminating in a lock casing the inner bottom wall ofwhich is onsubstantially the same curvature and from the same center as the arm, a long thin curved bolt lying on said wall and extending between the side walls of the casing, a straight-ratchet pivotedin the casing above the bolt, a flat spring between the bolt and one end of the ratchet, key engaging means on the bolt at one side of the ratchet, means. on the bolt to tip the,

ratchet against the action of the spring and a verge in the lock casing at the side of the J ratchet opposite to the key eng'aging means and a second curved arm pivoted to the first c arm with ratchet teeth adapted to operate said verge and be locked by said ratchet 'when positioned by the bolt;

In testimony whereof have aflixed mysig- E MER NEAL.

bolt within the lock casing adapted in one wall of which is of substantiallythe same,

J i 125, T 

